It Can Get Drier

This past winter, 27 inches of snow was measured in Fargo Moorhead. That was the lowest total since the winter of 1986-1987, yet only ranked as the 26th lowest snow total on record. Granted, snow measuring techniques have changed, but with nearly a quarter of a century of wet years, it was easy to forget how dry this area can be.

This summer, Hector Int’l recorded 6.3 inches of rain, the lowest total since 2009, yet like snowfall, did not rank as low as many people thought. Using the official records, June through August ranked as the 25th driest such period on record, although, if you used the rainfall recorded at WDAY where we measured just 5.22 inches of rain, that ranking would drop to the 14th driest. Yet, even that is not in the Top 10 driest on record.

Some localized areas likely did have one of the driest summers on records, but for most areas, yes, it was dry, but the past reminds us it can get a whole lot drier.

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ABOUT

Like any meteorologist, John Wheeler is intrigued by extremes of weather, especially arctic air outbreaks and winter storms. John says he prefers his summers to be hot but in winter, he prefers the cold. John has been a meteorologist at WDAY since May 1985.